Tag: health

Chinese New Year is upon us soon. For many people here in Singapore, the Chinese New Year festival means getting together with our relatives and friends over food and snacks.

However, while it is definitely good to catch up with relatives and friends, we also do need to watch our health, our weight and check that we have enough sleep during Chinese New Year – to avoid tiredness and piling on the kilos.

So here are a few tips that you may want to follow, to look after your health better, during the Chinese New Year.

1) Hydrate

Water has zero calories, making it the ideal beverage to drink more of this, during this festive season.

And additionally, taking in more water than usual, can also help to flush out any waste products accumulated from the constant feasting on the yummy but sinful goodies.
So try to keep a bottle of water with you, at all times.

2) Portion Control

Practising portion control is important during the Chinese New Year season because if you don’t watch how much you are eating, you will very easily put on weight.

So for example, limit yourself to one pineapple tart per household you are visiting, and not one jar of those pineapple tarts.

3) Do not visit on an empty stomach

Try to eat something healthy in between your visiting rounds to fill yourself up, so that you will not be feeling hungry at your relatives’ or friends’ house.

This is because being hungry will only set you up for disaster as you’ll end up chowing down the unhealthy snacks that are available.

4) Work Out Where Possible

Chinese New Year should not be a time to forego your workout regime. Try to work out whenever you find the time to during this season as a way to offset the eating.

If you really do not have time to wake up earlier than usual say, for a run, try and work the exercise into your day.

For instance, park your car further away from the house you are visiting so that you’ll have to walk there. Or take the stairs instead of the lift if you are choosing to take public transport. Getting off the bus or train one stop further away from your destination also helps.

5) Sleep

It may be hard to sleep when you are busy seeing your relatives or friends all day, but try and get as much sleep as possible, even if that means catching cat-naps or sleeping in the car or bus in between visiting rounds.

If you are the designated driver, why not ask your spouse or partner to do part of the driving, so that you can get a nap in the car?

Conclusion

With these tips in mind, I hope that this year, you can have a happy and healthy Chinese New Year festive season, with the opportunity to indulging in good food and catching up with relatives and friends – and at the same time, without emerging from it worse for wear.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

Whether you are a recreational or a competitive athlete, failure is bound to affect you.

For example, you may have set yourself the goal to run a sub 4-hour marathon, but due to cramps, you failed to meet your target.

I’ve also had my fair share of failures in my running. One of these was during the Sundown Marathon last year, when I ran the 42.195km marathon even though I still had flu symptoms. I ended up struggling throughout the whole race and didn’t run a good timing at all. I was quite disappointed, because I had trained for the race for a few months, only to have had this setback shortly before the race.

Instead of letting such failures affect you, though, you need to be able to move on. After all, success cannot come without failures. How you handle failure too, will determine how you grow as a person.

So here are some tips that will help you to overcome failure in not only running and sports, but also in life.

Seeking support from family and friends

While it may seem like a good idea to share your dreams and goals with your family and friends, you need to remember that they may not always support you.

And if you do not get their support, how will you react? Such negativity from those who are close to you may create self-doubt in your abilities to achieve your deepest desires.

However there is also a good chance that your friends and family will support you because of their love for you, so it is still best to share your dreams and aspirations with them, because having support and encouragement is better than embarking on your dreams alone and without anyone to back you up.

For me, I have always been fortunate enough to have the backing of my family, in whatever I choose to do in my life. For example, when I had decided to quit my corporate job because I was unhappy in it, my family backed me.

Waiting for the right moment

People tend to wait for the best moment in order to begin pursuing their dreams and goals. But by postponing their dreams until the right moment, this means that you are not likely to try and achieve them because there may never a right moment.

If you want something, you have to instead take the risks and set a date and time to go ahead and try rather than waiting for a perfect opportunity that may not come.

For example, if I had waited for the right moment to start my blog website, I would not be where I am today. Instead I may still be slaving away at a 9-5 corporate job, unhappy and waiting for the right moment to leave, rather than working from home.

Failure does not mean that you aren’t good enough

In today’s society, we tend to fear failure; any failed venture is associated with shame and disappointment and a feeling that we did not make it because we were not good enough.

But instead of wallowing in your despair, try to leverage on your failures in order to succeed the next time around.

Failure simply may mean that you lack experience and if you can let go of the feelings of shame and the disappointment in having failed, these are powerful lessons in life that no textbook can teach you.

And do remember that if you fail, you will come out from each failed venture having picked up new lessons in life and you will become a much better person from it, as compared to someone who has never ventured out of their comfort zone and was not brave enough to have attempted anything outside society’s expectations of them.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

The flu does not spare anyone. No matter how much exercise we do, or how fit we think we are, most of us fall sick with the flu approximately once a year.

While there may be no foolproof way to completely keep the flu at bay because the flu virus is so rapidly evolving and mutating, but there are some foods that you can eat, to boost your immune system and at least help to reduce your chances of catching the flu bug.

Bananas

Containing plenty of Vitamin B6, bananas are great in terms of helping your body fight infections including the flu.

Cayenne Peppers

Eating this helps to thin the mucus in your nasal passages which in turn, helps you to breathe more easily. This is great if you think you may be coming down with a blocked nose.Garlic

Commonly used to ward off vampires, garlic can also ward off infections at the same time. This is because garlic contains allicin, which blocks the enzymes that are linked to infections such as the flu.

Leafy Greens

Most people think of citrus fruits as containing Vitamin C, but leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale are also rich in this vitamin. Taking in plenty of Vitamin C will boost your immunity and reduce your chances of getting a cold, as well as reducing the severity of a cold should you get one.

Turmeric

High in antioxidants, turmeric is known to help to reduce the body of toxins and this, in turn, may reduce your risk of contracting colds and other infections.

Wild Salmon is rich in Vitamin D, which helps to not only fend off colds and flu, but is also responsible for reducing your risk of getting respiratory track infections and improving your rate of recovery should you wind up falling sick with a cold.

I can definitely vouch for these, based on my personal experiences. For example, slightly over a year ago, I never used to enjoy my vegetables and I tried to stay away from eating them whenever I could.

But, realising the importance of a healthy diet and eating my greens, I have made it a point to get more leafy green vegetables into my diet and I always make it a habit to eat some for each meal.

Another thing that I eat regularly is bananas. I eat fruit salad every morning and bananas are usually one of the key ingredients that I typically put into my fruit salad bowl because of its health benefits.

And as a result, I have not had a bad case of the flu for more than a year. The last time when I was really sick had been in March 2017 where it was so bad that I took a month to recover. That was also when I realised I had to do something about my diet.

These days, if I have been sick, the bug has usually been very mild and has generally not affected my day-to-day activities or my sports training.

So do try and incorporate more of these foods into your diet, in order to keep the flu bug at bay.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

Not all types of carbohydrates are created equally in terms of their Glycemic Index (GI).

What is GI?

So how do you know what are the right type of carbohydrates for you? Simply look at the Gl. The GI is a useful tool to help us choose the right type and quality of carbohydrates that will positively impact your health.

GI is mainly found in carbohydrate-based foods. Protein rich foods such as meat and fish do not have a GI.

The GI measures how quickly our bodies break down carbohydrates into glucose that can be readily absorbed by the human body and raise our blood sugar levels.

The higher the fibre content in the carbohydrate, the lower is its GI. Foods are classified into low, medium or high GI depending on their individual GI value.

High GI foods are rapidly digested and absorbed, causing a quick rise in blood sugar levels. These include refined carbs such as white rice, yellow noodles, potatoes, dates, pumpkin and watermelons.

On the other hand, low GI foods are slowly digested and absorbed causing a lower and more gradual rise in blood sugar levels.

Benefits of Low GI

Going on a low GI diet has been shown to have certain benefits.

For example it is advantageous for those who are trying to lose weight. This is because it works together with the body’s changing metabolism to stabilise blood sugar levels and hormones, increasing the feeling of fullness.

It also promotes heart health by maintaining a healthy weight due to its ability to control appetites. It reduces the triglyceride levels and bad cholesterol levels in the blood as well.

And low GI foods tend to contain more nutrients such as zinc, iron and potassium, which are also essential to maintain a healthy diet.

Indeed, in fact, experts recommend a low GI diet for those who want to manage their weight, as well as reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related degeneration and certain types of cancers.

And for sports performance too, a low GI diet is good on a daily basis before a race, while on the other hand, high GI foods are great in order to replenish the lost energy during and after competition.

In fact, endurance athletes who eat a low GI diet after a race, increased their endurance capacity as compared to those who ate a high GI recovery

Some examples of low GI food include basmati rice, rolled oats, sourdough bread, tanghoon and al dente pasta. Why not change your diet to these options and see what changes your body will make?

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

However this is easier said than done, especially when lifestarts to get overwhelming and you get more busy with the deadlines and commitments piling up. So because of this, healthy living tends to take a backseat.

But instead of letting your busy life get the better of you, why not focus on making one small change that you know that you can stick to every day? After some time, these changes will become natural to you and you will find yourself leading a healthier lifestyle without knowing it.

Here are some changes that you may consider making.

1) Make your bed

By making your bed in the mornings, this begins your day in the right direction. This is because you will feel good about having a tidy room and this will, in turn, set a more positive tone for the remainder of your day.

2) Schedule your workouts

By making it a priority to work out and putting this into your planner, just like you would plan your client meetings and appointments, this ensures that you will get them done.

This is what I have found for myself. By setting a time for my workouts, it is easier to stick to my plan and get them done.

3) Stock your fridge with healthy foods
By clearing out your fridge of junk foods and stocking up on the healthy stuff such as nuts and fruits, such as avocado, this will help you to stick to a healthier diet, because for example, when the late-night munchies strike, you will not have access to the junk snacks such as potato chips and chocolates when you raid your kitchen. And over time, you will begin to notice improvements in your health.

When our family cleared the fridge of junk food and replaced it with fruits, I seemed to have more energy to do my daily chores and running training.

4) Sleep

By making it a habit to sleep early, you will feel much more refreshed and energised to start the day, and you won’t be as lethargic or feel the temptation to press the Snooze button.

When I get to bed before midnight, I’m usually quite refreshed the next day, but if I sleep late, I’m quite tired and lethargic the next day.

5) Take Supplements

Taking supplements every morning, as I have found, help you to start the day on a good note too.

For myself, I take Astaxanthin (Astavita Sports) from Astavita, and this has helped me in terms of alleviating tired eyes, smoothening the skin, improving your cardiovascular health and muscle recovery, amongst other benefits.

I have been taking these for the past year and have benefitted tremendously in terms of my general health, as well as my performance in my running and triathlons.

Psst! If you want to try out the Astaxanthin supplements for yourself, use the promo code “prislovestorun” to get 20% off and free shipping (to Singapore addresses). Head to https://astavita.sg for more information.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

It’s perfectly normal to feel tired and sluggish in the middle of a working day. And in order to fight the feelings of tiredness, you find yourself reaching out for another cup of coffee.

But too much isn’t good for you because it can increase your anxiety and possibly lead to insomnia.

Here are some ways to feel more energised at work – without coffee.

Eat well

Plan your meals and make it a point to take proteins and complex carbs in every meal. This helps to balance your blood sugar levels throughout the day and so you are less likely to feel sluggish and tired – which is usually the result of your blood sugar levels plunging.

Never skip breakfast

By skipping breakfast because you are running late for work, is a sure way to feel tired and sluggish by mid-morning and cause you to reach for unhealthy snacks such as those biscuits and potato chips in the office pantry.

So try and make it a point to have a healthy and nourishing breakfast every day, that consist of plenty of whole grains, nuts and good fats. Some examples that you can prepare easily include peanut butter toast using whole grain bread.Get Moving
By making it a point to move around, for example, taking 10-minute breaks every hour to say brisk-walk around your office or to chat to your colleagues in person, this gets your heart rate up and oxygen pumping through your body, and in turn, makes you feel more energetic and raring to go.

Stay hydrated

By making sure that you have enough water, this helps your blood to transport nutrients and oxygen to your cells and thus helps to boost your energy levels.
Don’t forget also that fatigue is a symptom of dehydration – if you are not getting in enough water, your body cells shrink and they cannot function as well as they should, and this in turn, triggers those feelings of tiredness and fatigue.

How much water should you drink? The recommended amount is six to eight 250ml glasses of water per day, for a typical adult.

Take power snacks

By taking small snacks throughout the day, rather than a large meal, this helps to fuel your body constantly – and you will not succumb to the blood sugar spike and sudden drop that comes with eating a huge meal.
But make sure that those are healthy snacks that are full of nutrients such as iron, proteins and fibre, for example, an apple or a banana.Get a good night’s sleep

Many people feel sluggish because they didn’t get a good night’s sleep the night before. A lack of sleep can often lead to feelings of tiredness or lethargy.

So to get a good sleep, try and avoid bright screens such as mobile phones or laptops – for about an hour before bedtime. And try to get a minimum of seven to eight hours of sleep. Try a hot bath or play classical music to help you get rest too, as this may help some people as well.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

Indulging a bit much lately? Well no one likes a hangover. It sets you back on being productive and just makes us feel miserable actually.

As a yoga practitioner, I find the best way to cure a hangover besides sleeping it off it is to do some easy yoga poses to help accelerate the recovery process.

Here are my tips to cure a hangover right at home.

Corpse pose: Who does not like this pose? All we want to do when we are hungover is to lie down as it makes us feel better. Lying on your back helps with this because it also reduces headaches and tension. Do use a pillow or folded blankets to support your head in this position, close your eyes, breathe and melt into your mat.

Child’s pose: This is one position I get into when I have a headache or feel tensed in general. Relaxing into this position helps calm the nervous system and regulates blood pressure especially after a night out.

Seated half spinal twist: If you feel alright to sit up in a comfortable crossed-legged position, place one hand behind you on the mat close to you right spine. Place the other hand on your knee for support and twist in the opposite direction. Close your eyes and breathe.

If you are lying down, draw one knee into your chest and pull across your body. Use your opposite hand as a support and extend your other arm to the side. Turn toward the direction on the extended arm. Breathe deeply and close your eyes and melt into your mat.

Both these twists in general are great for detoxing, gets rid of toxins and aids in digestion and helps reduce bloating. It also stretches and energizes your spine and cleanses internal organs.

Legs up against the wall: One of my favourites. This particular asana one helps in lowering blood pressure, relieves headaches and tension. Do use a firm pillow or blankets as a support below back and relax from head to toe.

Standing forward bend: This one seems like effort, but it helps regulate blood pressure especially after a night of drinking. It also helps with stress and a stuffy head, and all the symptoms we experience during a hangover.

Do all these poses / asanas for about 3 – 5 minutes each. Focus on your breath and really relax. At the end of it, hydrate hydrate hydrate and maybe have a turmeric infused latte if you can. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties that helps reduce inflammation. I also like to take some extra antioxidants from Astavita.sg that contain astaxanthin, which also have anti-inflammatory properties to help speed up the process. You will be saying goodbye to your hangover in no time if you follow these tips.

Hope these tips and tricks help you as much as they help me.

Good luck.

Namaste,

Mona Gill

About the author:

Mona Gill is a busy mum and an entrepreneur. On top of that, she’s a yoga instructor and skincare expert. Mona is Astavita’s beauty and wellness ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her busy lifestyle and still maintain clear complexion thanks to Astavita Healthy Living Antioxidants and Astarism. Mona extols holistic wellness, keeping a healthy lifestyle and beauty from inside out. You may follow her on Instagram: mkglife.

People get into the sport of triathlon for different reasons. For some, it may be to lose weight. For others, it may be to raise funds for a charity that they feel passionate about. Or others may choose to go into the sport to tick it off their bucket list.

Whatever the reason, many people start to get addicted to the sport, and once is never enough after having a first taste of the sport. And upon completion of a race, they may find themselves already thinking of signing up for the next one.

Here are some possible reasons why triathlons may be addictive, in a good way:

Improves health

Taking part in sports such as triathlons have health benefits such as improvement of blood pressure, strengthening of muscles, losing weight and getting their bodies in shape. The state of feeling physically stronger and more capable, is addictive and as people age, they want to feel good about themselves and their health.

Rush of Endorphins

The moment you cross the finish line or you completed a hard training session, there is the feeling of the ‘runner’s high’ whereby you suddenly feel as though all your problems have been solved for a short while. It is this invigorating feeling that keeps some people wanting to go back for more. Moreover, it has a cathartic effect on other people, who would feel a sense of release or relief.Sense of Achievement

People want to achieve something. Once you cross the finish line, you feel as though you have accomplished a milestone. Be it a sprint distance triathlon or a full Ironman, whether it is a personal best you were aiming for or simply finishing; the feeling of completion is nevertheless a milestone and an achievement. By finishing the race, you are better off than all those people who had spent the morning sleeping in or sitting on the couch watching television.Feeling of control

Training for and competing in triathlons, gives you some degree of control over your life when everything else may seem to be out of control. There are many things in life we cannot control directly, for example, an unreasonable boss or unrealistic deadlines. When you drag yourself out of bed and push yourself to train for a long bike ride or a long run, you have that control back in your hands. Besides training, you have complete control over your nutrition and your mental state.

That’s it, these are the reasons why once bitten by the ‘Triathlon bug’ you’ll be back for more. What are the things you enjoy about training for a triathlon? Do feel free to comment or drop me a line.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

With three disciplines involved, the triathlon can be intimidating for beginners to pick up. For first timers, the learning curve is steep and this may put some people off from giving a triathlon a go, especially if they are weak in one of the three disciplines.

Here are some quick tips on how to train for your first triathlon.

Increase your workout load gradually

Begin your triathlon training with a workload that is equivalent to your fitness level. Do not try to do too much too fast, instead increase the load gradually over time. If you have never exercised before, you will need about 12 weeks to train yourself up to complete a sprint triathlon. Having said that, for newbies, my advice is: focus only on completion. Keep the intensity low and do not try and bite off more than you can chew – trying to overdo things can be demoralising and can cause you to lose interest in the sport, and may even cause injury.

Learn to swim

For many new triathletes, swimming can unsettle them. To improve your confidence in the water you need to start to improve your stroke at the same time, it may be advisable to get a swim coach to help you. In fact, many professional triathletes have swimming coaches who are still working on and fine tuning their swimming stroke, even after years of competing in the field. So, there is nothing embarrassing about being coached in swimming, even if you are a middle-aged adult. Swimming coaches are not just for kids, after all.

Equipment

Triathlon is not a cheap sport. But while you will need to invest in the necessary equipment to take on your first triathlon, you do not need to spend thousands of dollars on a top-notch triathlon bike or an expensive triathlon suit when you are just getting started.

Instead, an ordinary swimming suit from the department store, together with goggles and a swim cap will set you up nicely for the swimming leg.
For cycling, you can go to the hypermarket and get a mountain bike and a helmet. It may not be the fastest bike out there, but it will be good enough to get you through your first triathlon. You will also need some accessories such as cycling clothes, a tyre pump, spare tube and a hex wrench to tighten and loosen bolts.

For running, you need a pair of running shoes and moisture wicking apparel. These should be available at most hypermarkets and running specialty stores.Get used to hydrating during workouts

If this is your first triathlon, you will need to get used to taking drinks and sometimes food, on your long workouts. Take a sports drink with you on your long rides and runs. These are available at most supermarkets and will contain the electrolytes that you will need to replenish your lost energy stores from the session, so that you don’t get too exhausted and suffer cramps.

Within 30 minutes of your workout, you will also need to eat some food that is high in both carbohydrates and proteins, to improve your recovery time and ensure that you will feel better for your next workout.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner

With our hectic schedules every day and the need to constantly try to fit in as much as possible in our lives, sometimes we lose sight of what matters to us.

As a result, we tend to forget how to be truly happy. We may think that happiness equates to getting that big promotion at work or when we’ve got our first home.

But by putting a value on happiness, we tend to forget that material success does not necessarily equate to happiness. And even though these tangible things may make you happy at the beginning, the happiness soon dies and you’ll probably be back feeling disillusioned.

Here are some tips on how you can be truly happy.

Ignore your inner critic

Try to forget about the limiting beliefs from your inner critic, such as ‘you are lazy’, ‘you don’t know how to save money’ and ‘you are too shy to make friends’ affect you. The more you believe these things, the more they will define you. These will only hinder your success and your happiness. Do not let them. Instead, believe that you can do anything that you set yourself out to achieve, no matter what it is.

Be real and true to yourself

Instead of trying to be perfect and attempting to become the person that society wants you to be, living in fear of rejection all the time, you should be true to yourself. Do things that you love doing and say no to things that do not make you happy, rather than trying to do what you think is acceptable in society.

For example, if it is the norm to go to university and get a good office job to be successful in life, but you have a calling to give all of that up and start up a dessert cafe, just go ahead and do that, regardless of what society thinks. If it makes you happy, it is worth the risk.

Be grateful for what you have

Many people tend to take what they have for granted. But if you are reading this, you would have access to the Internet and you have a roof over your head. So be grateful for this.

But in order to be happy, you need to appreciate the simple things that you have in life, rather than wishing for what you don’t have, for example, more money or a higher paying job. At least you have a job that pays enough for you to survive, right?

By prioritising your happiness over material things, you will be able to bring the joy back to your life.

About the author:

Priscilla Chew is the winner of Best Health & Wellness Blog at the 2015 Singapore Blog Awards. Pris is Astavita’s sports ambassador. She attributes her stamina to cope with her running lifestyle with the help of Astavita’s Sports. She hopes her passion for running and sports will inspire other people to exercise on a regular basis for fitness and health. You may follow her on Instagram: prisgooner